Wire-fence machine



J. A. HOLMQUIST.

WIRE FENCE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED.MAR.22, 1920.

Patented May 24, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET mveirron J. A HOLMQU'IST.

WIRE FENCE MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 'MAR.'22, 1920.

Patented May 24,1921

4 SHEEYS-SHEET 2.

I l I 1 I I I I INVENI'OR WITNESSES J'. A. HOLMQUlST. WlRf. FENCE MACHlNE. APPUCATION FILED mm. 22, 1920.

. Patenfiad May 24,1921;

a m' a flz w? e J. A. HOLMQUIST.

WIRE FENCE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILEDMAR.22. 1920.

INVENTOR 4 SHEETSSHEU 4.

Patented May 24, 1921.

wnuzssss v ilmfl wire feed.

tary disk, I employ a reciprocatory knife 5&

As with the cutter of the Denning patent, it is'na-rrow in that portion whichtraverses the orifice in block 53 so that the time of obstruction of the orince is reduced to a minimum. It IS the forward al e-that is, the right-hand edge, as shown in Figs. VI

and VII-of knife which is the cutting edge. This knife 54, which as has been said is reciprocatory, 1s so mounted that on its forwardstroke its cutting edge passesacross the orlfice in block 53 (and so block 53 and knife 54; together constitute a pair at Fig. VII shows the cutter in dotted lines in its retracted position. Fromthat position .it advances to the full-line position shown in Fig. VI, to effect the cutting of the in-.

dividual. stay wire from the advancing stay-wire feed, indicated atc55. In retraction the knife is raised, as is shown in fullline position in Fig. VII, so that it passes back fromthe full-line position shown in Fig. VI without obstructing the orifice or interfering with the advance of the stay- The reciprocatory movement, to effect the advance of the knife from; the dotted-line position shown in Fig. VIE to the full-line position shown in Fig-VI and back again,

is eiiected by mounting the succession of knlves-(one for each stay-wire feed) in a slide, and causing this slide to reciprocate.

The slide is composed of the blocks 56, 5?, and reciprocation is imparted to it from a shaft 58 by means of a pair oi? arms 59 pivoted to the slide, one at each end thereof, and reciprocated through eccentric engagement with shaft 58 (see Fig. II). Shaft 58.1nay be rotated through suitable connections (not shown),1 in unison with the main driving shaft/41- ot the machine. Movement of the knife "from one plane to another, according as it reciprocates to and fro, isefilectedby forming the slide of two blocks, 56, 57, in mounting: the knives in the upper block, 56, and in making provision that, as the slide reciprocates, the upper, kniiecarrying block shall rise and fall, conveniently by swinging or pivoting slightly upon the lower. To this end the two blocks lie normally face to face, held to that position. by

the spring-backed bolts 64 which extend through enlarged bolt holes in theupper block but are firmly secured against withdrawal from the lower. This construction P m ts bl k s a 9 t n r a le k seen out otfv Explanation has been made 5.7,; and, since it is the forward edge of hlock'56 (that is to say, the right-hand edge, Figs. VI and VII) which rises and falls, the lower rear edge is advantageously rounded, as indicated at 65. End projections upon block 56, preferably taking the form of rollers 60 on projecting shafts, engage apair of walking beams (51, and, as the slide advances and recedes these rollers roll along the faces of theseywalking beams. The walking beams themselves swing on suitable pivots, and are controlled in their swinging movement by the springs 62 of bolts 64 which tend to press their lefthand ends downward (Figs. VI and V II), (and cams 63 conveniently mounted on the same shaft 58, which at suitable intervals press their right-hand ends downward. It

is manifest that suitable shaping of the cams and suitable placing of them upon will be free of contact with the stay-wire.

Further features of the invention relate to the handling of the stay wire after it has it .the stay wire is projected from the ,5 .ide in a direction transverse to the general direction of strand-wire and stay-wire feed and diagonally between adjacent strand wires. This is indicated in Fig. III, where a succession of stay wires 6 are shown, ad-

. vancing diagonally between adjacent strand wires As here shown the now advancino; ends of the stay wires are not yet long enough for cutting off and the knives 54 are still retracted. Between the paths of adjacentstrand wires a is a succession of staywirergruidcs. Each guide consists of three plates: an underlying plate 70, and two smaller and superposed plates 71 and 72 in completely covering plate 70. Plate 71 is bolted in stationary position upon plate 70,

and plate 72. is pivoted. upon plate 70 and held by tension oi a spring'r'il normally in the position shown, with a relatively wide spare between itscdge and the adjacent edge of plate 71. Even when swung, however,

against the tension of spring 73, still the ad acent edges of plates 71 and 72 stand apart. Furthermore, the adjacent edges of plates 71 and-.72 may advantageously be formed with. an overhang, and thus the three plates 70. 71, and 72 assembled constitute a guide for the advancing stay wire; a guide, be it observed, whosepassageway is widest at the mouthwhere advantageously the corner is rounded to form a bell-mouthand a guide whose passageway widens and contracts periodically as plate Y2 swings, the

greatest variation in width being at a point remote from the month. Y

The forward end ofjthe length of stayw'ir e, driven by rolls 51-, 52, advances through the hole in block 53 and then through the guideway just describedwhich is thenjin the wide-open position shown in Fig. III. When the length of stay wire has advanced so far that its end sufficiently overlaps the strand wire to which it is to be applied,the knife 54 which now is advancing, has reached the hole through block 53 and now coeperates with the block, and, as in a pair of shears, cuts free a stay wire from the continuous length of stay-wire feed. The now severed stay rests over its medial portionupon the plate 70 while its two ends lie adjacent to and on opposite sides of, but, as will be remarked in studying Fig. III, at some appreciable distance from two adjacent strand Wires. At this juncture (or slightlybefore) the forward advance of the slide 56, 57 brings pusher 7 4:

(which also the slide carries) to bear upon the stay wire at one end; and then the further advance of the slide and a coincident swing o f pla'te 72 upon its pivot (which plate engages the wire at the opposite end) swing the wire upon plate as u on a fulcrum (and it will be observed. in Fig. IV that plate 70 may be arched) and bring its opposite ends to bear against the two strands to which it is to be secured. I When the stay has so been swung, the coilers 1 rise and engage the stayand coil it by itsopposite ends to the strand wires. Meanwhil the slide with its knife 54 and pusher 74 and the plate 72 recede, preliminarily to "acting in' like manner upon the next succeeding stay.

The pusher 7% here first mentioned is a known adjunct of these machines; it may conveniently be, as it here is shown to be, a rigid finger extending fromblock'56' of the slide already described, Fig. III will show that it acts upon a newlycut stay at a point nearer its center offturning upon plate 70 than the knife 54 which has just effected the cutting. In consequence of this more advantageous position the advance of'slide 56 need not be so great as would be the case if the knife 54 were the instrumentality by which the severed stay was pushed to position. In the retraction of the slide the pusher 74 will rise as knife. 54 .rises and pass back free of-contact with the next oncoming stay. a j I I Throughout the foregoing description of the function of the stay-wire guide and its associated parts. I have spoken of stay wire and guide, knife, and pusher in the singular. It will of course be understood that this has been a matter of convenience, and that in fact, and as the dr wings show, these parts are multiplied a number of times in the organiza ion of the mach ne as a Whol moment comes for them to act they rise and,.

engaging the endsof the stay wires, coil them about the strand wires.

are borne in a bar 10 and bar 10 rises and descends in a determined periodicity to effeet the end just stated. This bar 10 is conveniently equipped with a succession of wedge surfaces 76 properly disposed and placed, so that as bar 10 rises these wedges I 7 6 engage plates 72 and swing them on their pivots to perform their stay-wire pushing duty, so that, when the coilers arrive at the point of wire engagement, the stay wires have come to the point to be engaged. The rise and fall of bar 10 is, as is explained in the companion application referred to, effected by the rotation of shaft 9 which is driven from the main power shaft 4; and the movement of knives and-pushers is ef- "fected by the rotation of shaft 58, also driven fronrsliaft 4. It is a matter of mere.

proportioning toefi'ect coincident and correlated operation of'these various wire-manipulating parts.

It will be'understood that, in the opera tion of the machine, immediately when the coilers have performed their essential function and begin to recede, the movable plates 72 of the stay-wire guides are released, so that they swing under the impulse of springs 73, and open to allow the'strand wires to advance, carrying now the stays which have been secured to them.

As I said at the outset this invention is not limitedin its applicability to machines of the Denning type. The essential features of invention are enumerated and characterized in the ensuing claims beyond these features, the showing of the specification is 'exemplarly merely, and the details of structure are not to be taken by way'tof limitation. j

I claim as my invention -1. Ina wire-fence machine, in combina tion with stay-wire feeding mechanism, two knife members. and means for imparting to one of said knife members reciprocation relatively to the other together with movementfrom one plane of travel to another on the completion of each forward and rearward stroke, substantially as described.

2. In a wire-fence machine,-in combination with stay-wire feeding mechanism, a tipping slide, a knife borne by said slide, means for reciprocating said slide and means These coilers coordinated with said reciprocating means for tipping said slide, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a wire-fence machine, in combination with stay-wiro feeding mechanism, a tipping slide, a knife and a pusher borne by said slide, means for reciprocating said slide, and means coordinated with said reciprocating means for tipping said slide, substantially as described.

4:. I11 a wire-fence machine, in combination with means for feeding a plurality of strand wires in parallel paths, means for feeding the forward end of acontinuous length of stay wire diagonally between two strand-wire paths, a stay-wire guide having a runway of periodically varying width arranged between the two strand-wire paths,

and a stay-wire cutter including a knife reciprocable forward and rearward in different planes of travel, substantially as described.

5. In a wire-fence machine, the combination of means for feeding a plurality of strand wires in parallel paths, means for feeding a stay wire transversely of and. di-

agonally between strand wires advancing in the paths defined, a stay-wire guide arranged between the paths .of the strand wires and provided with a notch, and means for narrowing and widening the notch intermittently in the operation of the machine, substantially as described.

6. In a wire-fence machine, the combination of means for impelling two strand wires in parallel paths, means for impelling a stay wire transversely of and diagonally between such strand wires, a stay-wire guide arranged between the strand wires, aknife for cutting stay wires from an advancing length of stay-wire feed, said knife including a blade reciprocating perpendicularly to the plane common to the two strand-wlres, the said stay-wire guide including a movable member reciprocating in a plane perpendicular to the plane common to the strand wires, and means for moving knife and guide member in synchronism, substantially as described. I j

7. In a wire-fence machine, in combination with means for feeding a plurality of strand wires in parallel paths, a stay-wire guide arranged between the paths of the strand wires, said guide including two members movable one relatively to the other, and adapted by movement to impel one end of a contained stay wire in a direction toward an adjacent strand wire, a reciprocable pusher adapted by movement to impel the opposite end of a stay wire resting in said guide in a direction toward an adjacent strand wire, and means for placing in said guide a severed length of stay wire, substantially as described.

. 8. In a wire-fence machine, in combination with means forfeeding a plurality of strand wires in parallel pathsand means for feeding. a stay wire diagonally between strand wires advancing in the paths defined,

a stay-wire guide arranged between the paths of the strand wires, and consisting of an arched plate having a groove in its upper face,the wall of said groove being movable at a point remote from the crown of thearch of said plate, substantially as described. I 9. In a wire-fencev machine, in combination with means for feeding a plurality of strand wires in parallel paths, and means for feeding a stay wire, diagonally. between strand wires advancing in the paths defined, a stay-wire guide arranged between the paths of the strandwires, said guide consisting of an arched plate having a transverse groove in its upper surface, and means for simultaneously engaging from, opposite sides the opposite ends ofastay wire resting in said groove and turning it upon the crown of the arch. of said plate, substantially as described.

10. In a wire-fence machine, the combination of means for impelling a plurality of strand wires. in parallel paths, a stay-wire guide adapted to receive and support a staywire with ends extending-on opposite sides of strand wires soimpelled, means forbringing a stay 'w-ireinto such position in said guide,,said guide being. formed of two parts pivoted one upon the other, means for pushingupon one end of a stay wire supported in said guide, means for operating said pusher, and means for swinging the pivoted portion of saidguide,-the several means defined operating in synchronism, substantially as described. i I

11. In a wire-fencemachine, means for feeding a plurality ofstrandwires in parallel paths, a stay. wire guide including a transversely movable member mounted between adjacent paths of strand-wire feed, a bar carrying a plurality of coilers movable longitudinally of thepaths ofstrand-wire feed, said bar in .its movement engaging and effecting movement of. the movable member of the stay-wire guide, together with means for feedinga stay wire to said guide, substantially, as describedi 12. In a wire-fence machine, the combination ofmeans for feedingaplurality of strand wires in-parallel paths and in a common plane, a beam extending transversely of the common plane of strand-wire feedland reciprocable in the direction of ,saidfeed,

a second beam extending transversely of the common plane of strand-wlre feedand reciprocablem a direction perpendicular to said plane and capable ofbeing tipped in a direction transverse to itslength, a staywire feed, a stay-wire guidearranged between adjacent strand-wire paths and in cluding a movable member, coilers borne by the beam first named, and a stay-wire cutter borne by the second beam, the beam first named being adapted in its reciprocation to eifect the shifting of the movable member of said stay-wire guide, and means for shifting said beams and for tipping the secondnamed beam, such means operating to effect correlation of the several movements, sub- 10 stantially as described.

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN A. HOLMQUIST.

W'itnessesz T. M. GIRDLER, O. E. GREssBY, 

